De Vinci, C, Levine, P H, Pizza, G et al. · Biotherapy (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 1996 · DOI
This small study tested whether Transfer Factor (TF), a substance derived from immune cells, could help people with ME/CFS feel better. Twenty patients received either TF or a placebo, and researchers tracked their symptoms and blood levels of viruses linked to ME/CFS. Twelve patients showed improvement within 3-6 weeks of starting treatment, though the study was too small to prove TF definitely works.
This study addresses the persistent question of whether immune-modulating interventions can benefit ME/CFS patients, particularly those with suspected herpesvirus reactivation. The finding that clinical improvement occurred without clear serological changes may shift how researchers think about measuring treatment response in ME/CFS.
This pilot study does not prove Transfer Factor is an effective ME/CFS treatment—the small sample size, lack of details about blinding quality, and absence of long-term follow-up data are significant limitations. The correlation between symptom improvement and serological changes (or lack thereof) does not establish causation. Results cannot be generalized beyond this specific population without larger, well-designed trials.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
De Vinci, C, Levine, P H, Pizza, G, Fudenberg, H H, Orens, P, Pearson, G, et al. (1996). Lessons from a pilot study of transfer factor in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Biotherapy (Dordrecht, Netherlands). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02628663
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-de-vinci-1996-lessons-pilot,
author = {De Vinci, C and Levine, P H and Pizza, G and Fudenberg, H H and Orens, P and Pearson, G and Viza, D},
title = {Lessons from a pilot study of transfer factor in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Biotherapy (Dordrecht, Netherlands)},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1007/BF02628663},
note = {PubMed: 8993764},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/de-vinci-1996-lessons-pilot},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/de-vinci-1996-lessons-pilot
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.